Image source, Rex Features

An often frustrating day for Division One leaders Essex because of Kent's tail-end resistance and the poor weather at Canterbury, but they will have the reassuring presence of Alastair Cook at the crease when they resume their first innings on day three.

They will also take comfort from the struggles of title rivals Somerset against Warwickshire, where following on remains a possibility after the home side totalled 419.

Individual performance of day two was by Lancashire's Dane Vilas, who made a career-best 266 as they seized control of their game against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay.

What will tomorrow bring? Join us at 10.30 to find out.

Division One

Kent 226 v Essex 32-1

Essex trail by 194 with nine wickets standing

Hampshire 367 v Surrey 109-2

Surrey trail by 258 with eight wickets standing

Warwickshire 419 v Somerset 167-5

Somerset trail by 252 with five wickets standing

Yorkshire 232 & 177-2 v Nottinghamshire 184

Yorkshire lead by 225 with eight wickets standing

Division Two

Derbyshire 200 v Gloucestershire 396-7

Gloucestershire lead by 196 with three wickets standing

Durham 544-9 dec v Leicestershire 152-4

Leicestershire trail by 392 with six wickets standing

Glamorgan 257 v Lancashire 544-9

Lancashire lead by 287 with one wicket standing

Worcestershire 186 & 42-4 v Northamptonshire 376

Worcestershire trail by 146 with six wickets standing

Middlesex 75 & 149-4 v Sussex 309

Middlesex trail by 85 with six wickets standing

Image source, Rex Features

Brydon Carse took 3-36 to put Durham firmly in control on day two of their game against Leicestershire.

After registering their biggest Championship total against the Foxes, with skipper Ned Eckersley making an unbeaten 71 against his former side, they were held up by Paul Horton and Hassan Azad, who put on exactly 100 for the first wicket.

But Carse removed Horton (52) and Neil Dexter in the same over before returning to have Azad caught by Peter Handscomb for 53 shortly before the close.

With Mark Cosgrove bowled for 21 by Liam Trevaskis, Leicestershire face a major battle to extricate themselves from the game with a draw.

Dom Bess plays out a maiden from Will Rhodes as second-placed Somerset end day two in some trouble against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Despite dismissing Rob Yates early for 141, they could not prevent the home side posting a 400 + total, with all bar Dom Sibley reaching double figures.

And Somerset then found themselves 44-3 in reply, with Pakistan's Babar Azam registering a first-ball duck.

Steve Davies (89*) shared half-century stands with Tom Banton and George Bartlett, but George Garrett's late dismissal of the latter left them needing another 103 to avoid the follow-on with half of their wickets gone.

That's the end of today's play at the Kia Oval.

With Hampshire resuming on 222-7 this morning, it didn't take long for yesterday's star man Rikki Clarke to pick-up his seventh wicket of the innings, when he tempted Lewis McManus into an ill-advised shot that went straight to Mark Stoneman.

But Kyle Abbott's 72 and Ryan Stevenson's 51 put on 104 runs for the ninth wicket as the tailenders amassed valuable runs.

In response, Fidel Edwards struck twice early in the evening session to remove Surrey's Ryan Patel and Sam Curran cheaply, but watchful innings from Stoneman (52*) and Scott Borthwick (26*) saw Surrey close out the day, still trailing by 265, but with eight wickets in hand going into day three.

Sam Robson and John Simpson survive the last 11 overs at Hove, but Middlesex are in deep trouble after two days against Sussex.

Will Beer (77), Luke Wells (62) and Alex Carey (56) helped the home side establish a 234-run first-innings lead and Ollie Robinson was soon among the wickets at the start of Middlesex's reply.

He dismissed Stevie Eskinazi and Paul Stirling and now has match figures of 10-83, with the visitors still 85 runs in arrears.

Robson will resume 61 not out, with Simpson on 30.

for Mark Stonemanpublished at 18:56 British Summer Time 19 August 2019

18:56 BST 19 August 2019

Hampshire 367 v Surrey 104-2

Surrey opener Stoneman has reached his half-century after a sure-footed and stoic display.

It has come from 121 balls and included seven fours.

There is one over left to be bowled today and Surrey currently trail by 263.

Wayward stuff late in the day from Henry Brookes, who is twice glanced for four by Steven Davies to bring up a 50 partnership with George Bartlett.

The Warwickshire paceman then drops short and Bartlett cracks him away for the third boundary of the over.

Two overs to go. Davies has 89 and Bartlett is on 22.

Image source, Rex

That late dismissal of Adam Lyth was a rare bright moment for Notts after what looked such a promising position before play started this morning.

Resuming on the overnight score of 41 without loss, Ben Slater was dismissed by Ben Coad with the first ball of the day and from then, the wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.

Tom Moores offered some resistance with a quickfire 48 which included three sixes; one of which he hit out of the ground, before Duanne Olivier (4-60) had him caught behind.

Lyth's 81 and Gary Ballance's unbeaten 52 helped Yorkshire to a lead of 225 at the close and left Notts seriously up against it as they search for that elusive win.

Third-placed Gloucestershire are in a strong position after centuries Chris Dent and Ryan Higgins put them within sight of doubling Derbyshire's first-innings total.

Dent made 169 - his fourth Championship century of the season and Higgins scored 101 before both fell in successive overs from Logan van Beek.

They put on 221 for the sixth wicket and weather permitting, there is now a chance this game could finish on day three.

David Payne and Jack Taylor are the not out batsmen, on 13 and 12 respectively.

Warwickshire call up Henry Brookes for a final dart at the Somerset batsmen, but George Bartlett is content to play out a maiden over, with four remaining before the close.

Bartlett is 17 not out and Steven Davies is on 79.

A wonderful day for Division Two leaders Lancashire, who score 459 runs to lead by 287, led by skipper Dane Vilas' career-best 266.

Only two batsmen have made higher scores at Colwyn Bay; Steve James with 309 not out for Glamorgan, and Alviro Petersen who made 286 in 2015 in Lancashire's record stand of 501 with fellow South African Ashwell Prince (261).

Vilas put on 92 with Keaton Jennings (86), 111 with Danny Lamb (49) and 55 with Saqib Mahmood before he was finally bowled by David Lloyd.

With two days remaining, they will be confident of a victory that would take them a major step closer to promotion.

Not too many fireworks at the Kia Oval as Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick steadily go about their work.

Opener Stoneman has 34 from 98 balls and Borthwick has 12 from 34.

Fidel Edwards removed Ryan Patel and Sam Curran early in the session but there has been no joy for the Hampshire bowling attack since.

Surrey are trailing by 290.

There are seven overs to go at Edgbaston and Steven Davies and George Bartlett are battling to see Somerset through without further loss.

Steven davies plays out a maiden from Jeetan Patel and remains 75 not out, leaving Bartlett, on eight, to face up to Will Rhodes.

Warwickshire lead by 288.

Image source, Getty

Ollie Robinson bowls Ireland's Paul Stirling for a duck to pick up his 10th wicket of the game at Hove.

Stirling attempts a big drive, quite ambitious from only the third delivery he has faced, and it jags back just enough off the pitch to clean him up.

Sam Robson is 55 not out, but Middlesex are 121 behind with six overs remaining before the close.

Moeen Ali is still there at stumps on 10 not out at Wantage Road, but that's just about the only good news for Worcestershire at the half-way point of their game against Northants.

They will begin day three still 148 behind and with only six wickets remaining after Ben Sanderson took 4-13 from nine overs with the new ball.

Earlier, Alex Wakely and Dwaine Pretorius hit centuries for the home side, while England all-rounder Moeen finished with 3-126 after conceding 100 runs without taking a wicket.

for Gary Ballancepublished at 18:13 British Summer Time 19 August 2019

18:13 BST 19 August 2019

Yorkshire 232 & 158-1 v Notts 184

Image source, Rex Features

Ballance has reached his half-century from 81 balls in under 90 minutes against a flagging Notts attack.

Batting alongside Adam Lyth (69*) the duo have taken Yorkshire into a lead of 210.

Notts' Luke Wood and Liam Patterson-White took nine wickets between them yesterday but neither has been able to find the magic formula today.

They have six overs left in the day to try to get some form of momentum back as they head into day three.